Strategic communication — Plan for growth

All public websites and intranets must grow or they become cluttered, stale and unusable. A well thought out information architecture is essential to providing for logical expansion of the site. Include ideas about where new sections would go during your planning stage.

Customer-focused growth

To get an idea of future needs and opportunities consider how you interact with your customers. Are there ways you can make your programs and services more convenient?

• If you don’t now offer online access to accounts will you do so in the future?

Where in your structure would customers go to find the log in?

• Customers have busy lives. It’s harder than ever to get them to come to a public meeting or an evening workshop.

Can you provide a simplified method of getting their testimony on public policy issues?

Could you offer an online class … with a discussion board so they can interact with the instructor?

Organization-based growth

As you build your site you will interview employees to determine how their needs could be met. Get them to talk about what would make their daily life more pleasant. Some of their “if only” statements might give you ideas about functions and services you could offer customers through your site. Their ideas for the workplace may bring serious process improvements through electronic assistance.

No intranet or website is ever “done.” Plan for tasks that would benefit from electronic involvement so you build a structure that maintains its usability as it grows. And keep in mind that customers and employees will use different technology to access information. Cell phones and personal digital assistants may be used frequently to reach your website or intranet. Plan on it!

As you know, we are experts in the field of intranet design and redesign. For those of you who have a public website or intranet and are considering growth strategies, remember to include your customer needs and your organization's needs. If you find yourself a little overwhelmed, be sure to contact us and we'll help smooth the process. For those of you who do not have an intranet, we've prepared a readiness assessment to help you determine if your organization is ready to begin.

Also, you can read more about strategic communication in regard to using technology, choosing the right media, and communicating with special audiences.